Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

Lynn did not rush to sweep it up.

He first went to the worktable, where several notebooks and unfinished experimental records were spread out.

Then there is a separate room specifically for storing important documents.

He activated the [Memory Library], scanning and recording all of Morpheus's research findings on the soul over the years.

Methods for refining the main soul, optimization schemes for soul devouring, techniques for separating the soul from the body, the principles behind constructing a substitute death contract...

Then he walked toward the row of shelves.

On the third level, inside a container twice the size of the surrounding crystal bottles, a wisp of golden soul mist slowly rotated.

At the center of the fog, a miniature dragon-shaped phantom could be vaguely seen, moving silently.

The third main soul, a semi-finished product, is made primarily of dragon soul.

Lynn sensed it carefully.

This dragon soul was at least at the peak of level 5 in life. After its death, it was preserved by Morpheus using special methods and fed a large number of pure souls, and has already formed a preliminary rudimentary form of self-awareness.

Only the final step of refining and imprinting the contract is needed for it to become the true third main soul.

This is great stuff!

He unceremoniously put it into the Phase Soul Lamp.

Next came the sweeping.

Since he didn't know how the Academy would react to his killing of Morpheus, Lynn didn't intend to take it all.

At least keep some for show, and apply for the lab again later to see if you can get some spoils as compensation for yourself as the "victim".

As for now... take away the most important parts first; it's safest to keep the good stuff in your own pocket.

The soul of all finished products in the furnace—take the best half and leave the rest as substandard products.

Lynn then used his own money to add some level 1 and level 2 undead souls, making it impossible to see any significant reduction.

Take the rarest materials from the shelf, leaving the ordinary materials and some of the junk you took out yourself.

Notes and lab records from the workbench—since they've already been scanned, I'll keep them all.

Boxes of magic stones in the corner—take them all, leave not a single one!

Two full hourglasses later, Lynn had looted the laboratory of everything of value, making sure nothing was left behind.

It took another half hour to erase all traces of my actions and restore it to its original state.

As he left, he closed the bone gate using the same method, and the restriction was restored to its original state.

Everything seemed unchanged.

...

The next morning, Lynn appeared in front of Sersi's office area.

The deputy tower master's residence is located on a high floor of the tower, and two expressionless level 4 soul guards are stationed in front of the door year-round.

This wasn't Lynn's first time here. After she expertly stated her purpose, the guard went in to announce her arrival.

A moment later, he was led into Cersei's office.

"Master's wife."

Lynn greeted everyone politely after entering the house.

Sersi sat behind the long table, flipping through a document. She looked up at Lynn, her gaze extremely calm.

"Here we go again? What trouble is it this time?"

Clearly, in Cersei's eyes, Lynn always brought trouble whenever he came.

This time... is no exception.

Lynn gave an awkward smile and stepped forward to place Morpheus's soul crystal plaque and the soul seal bottles of the five apprentices on the table.

"Master's wife, this time it's not that I want to cause trouble, it's that someone is causing trouble for me."

"Morpheus is dead. I was ambushed by him in the Abyss of Decay, forced to fight back, and finally killed him."

"This is his nameplate and the soul of his apprentice."

Cersei's gaze lingered on the nameplate for a moment, then swept over the five sealed bottles, finally settling on Lynn's face.

She showed no surprise, no anger, but simply watched quietly, her deep eyes seemingly able to penetrate the soul and see all the hidden truths.

"Go on."

Lynn then began to deliver her prepared speech in a clear and detailed manner—

He recounted from the victim's perspective how he was ambushed and killed by Morpheus in the depths of the rotten abyss, how he struggled and resisted with all his might, and how he was forced to fight back at the last moment.

He emphasized that Morpheus's ambush was premeditated, and that his counterattack was a last resort of self-defense. He returned to the academy immediately after the kill to report the incident, demonstrating that he had a clear conscience.

After hearing this, Cersei revealed a playful smile.

She didn't respond immediately, but instead raised her hand.

A sealed bottle flew into her palm, and the apprentice's soul inside was drawn out by an invisible force, churning, decomposing, and recombining at her fingertips.

Soul Searching Technique!

A moment later, she put down the soul, picked up the other one, and repeated the same process.

After examining all five souls, she finally spoke, her voice still calm and unwavering.

"Hmm...the situation seems to be exactly as you described."

"But...the situation here is probably not that simple, is it?"

"Last time you asked me to keep an eye on Malpha, you wanted to use yourself as bait to lure Morpheus out to find you, but you were also afraid that Malpha would join in, so you asked me to keep an eye on her to make sure she wouldn't get involved, right?"

Lynn's heart skipped a beat, but her face showed just the right amount of bewilderment:

"You flatter me, Master's wife. How could I dare to use myself as bait? I'm just doing this as a precaution."

"After all, Morpheus still has a chance to fight back if he wants to kill me, but if Malfa wants to kill me, I'm really doomed."

Sersi's lips curled up slightly, a smile that vanished in an instant, yet sent a chill down Lynn's spine.

"What about Morpheus's soul?" she asked.

"He crafted two substitute main souls, which would revive him in the main soul each time he was killed," Lynn said calmly.

"I couldn't capture him alive, so I had to kill him completely, annihilating his soul."

Cersei fell silent.

Her gaze lingered on Lynn for a long time.

A freshman who had been enrolled for a few years killed a veteran second-ring wizard who had been famous for over a hundred years, and was also an important mentor in the academy specializing in the study of souls.

Not only did they kill him, they also prevented Morpheus from escaping with his soul—even the substitute soul couldn't save him.

This combat prowess and cunning made even the deputy tower master, who was used to seeing geniuses, have to re-evaluate the young man before her.

Especially the battle scene I witnessed when searching the souls of several apprentices.

That bizarre, continuous movement; that spatial blade that could directly cleave space; that powerful physical ability; that fighting style that even Morpheus couldn't grasp.

Even if an ordinary wizard practices the same magic, he simply cannot do this!

"How did you learn your spatial magic?"

Lynn was prepared: "With his exceptional talent and the ability to analyze a large number of spatial truth traces, he managed to figure out some basic applications."

"Simple?" Cersei smiled faintly. "Simple enough to kill a peak second-ring soul mentor?"

Lynn did not respond.

The office remained quiet for a long time.

Cersei's gaze grew increasingly focused, as if he wanted to see right through him, inside and out.

Lynn felt uneasy under her gaze, but she didn't show it on her face.

"If Master's wife has no other instructions..." he asked tentatively.

"Don't leave the academy these next few days." Cersei finally looked away.

"The college will have a review team to investigate this matter, and as a direct witness, you need to cooperate with the investigation."

Lynn was slightly taken aback.

The review team? Isn't the person sitting in front of us the number one person in charge of "discipline"? Why bother with this?

Seemingly noticing Lynn's confusion, Cersei added:

"The death of a formal wizard, and an important instructor in the academy, is of great importance and cannot be decided by me directly. You can go back and wait."

"Yes," Lynn replied, adding.

"Madam, my temporary accommodation at the academy is too small. Could I apply for a proper laboratory?"

"Yes, as a mid-level researcher, you have the right to apply. Which one would you like?"

"The one in Morpheus."

Cersei paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

She certainly understood Lynn's plan.

That lab contains Morpheus's accumulated materials and research results over decades; this kid wants to swallow the entire legacy whole.

"Morpheus's lab will be sealed off and archived for investigation. Once the investigation is complete, if you are found to be innocent, the Academy will make appropriate arrangements."

Lynn showed regret on his face at the right moment, but secretly laughed to himself.

Seal the archives for investigation? By the time you've finished investigating, the valuables will probably have already been confiscated. Just give me the scraps as a form of appeasement.

Luckily I went there first, otherwise I wouldn't even have been able to get any soup.